“Music is intimacy unfolded within our souls.”
Creation is an establishment that will forever continue, and I believe that the influence of music, illustration and emotion are entwined into one.
I am a composer, arranger, orchestrator and conductor. I write music to fulfill the yearning of expression within myself. To create a canvas of sentiment that implies freedom and motivation, propelling oneself forward.
I was introduced to classical music at a young age. I remember those winter mornings, in which my grandfather and I would sip hot chocolate and listen to his classical records. At 9 years old, I began playing Spanish and classical guitar. Thereafter, I also bought music scores and hid them between my school books, pretending I was studying my subjects but I was studying music instead. At 13 years old, I decided I would like to play saxophone and by the time I was 15, I had saved up enough money to purchase one. At the end my father bought me one, and began lessons with the esteemed teachers Javier and Pedro Iturralde. Javier inspired and fascinated me with his ability to arrange and orchestrate music. From just a blank sheet of paper, he created pure magic. He was my mentor and a huge influence on me. He often asked me to go with him to experience many classical and jazz concerts.
As a young girl of just 15, I decided I wanted to explore the world of jazz. I would motivate my father to accompany me to jazz clubs like Cafe Central, Clamores and Whisky Jazz in Madrid. The first jazz song I memorized was Take 5 and it was also the first jazz CD I owned. I remember spending all my savings in purchasing vinyl records and CDs.
Dance is also a huge factor in my life and it also influences some of my compositions. I believe that is because I began dancing flamenco and classical when I was a kid. I believe music and dance go hand in hand together. The visual aspect of dance inspires me to create music.
Art is expressed in many forms. In my 20's I realized that I enjoyed the multiplicity of music being joined with a visual aspect, such as film and picture. Even today, there are many contemporary styles of music that I can only understand with a visual.
During this time, I earned an Economics Degree at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Thereafter I worked at an investment bank as an economist for a few years. But I felt like a bird in a cage, and I gave up. By that time I was still playing saxophone and dancing flamenco.
I also studied at Escuela de Musica Creativa (Madrid, Spain), where I learned jazz, harmony, counterpoint, composition, arranging, saxophone and piano. By then I was constantly composing. In one of my woodwind ensembles at that time, I realized that I loved arranging and writing music for other people to perform. I then specialized further in composition and arranging.
Due to my intrigue of music and film, and composition itself, I was devoted to studying Film Scoring at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Composition and Film Scoring have always been my goal. I applied, and after being accepted I didn’t hesitate to advance. I left it all behind for music.
When I am asked why I write and how do I feel by doing that, I answer that I write to express what I feel; I tend to be wistful and pensive. Sometimes I look for motivation from a landscape, an image, an emotion, a visual, a dance, or from other music. I also compose with the listener in mind, thinking of how they will be affected by my music. When I write specific arrangements for other people, I think of this process of writing music, just like a tailor would do design a suit for a customer.
Music has always been my focus. When I compose, I develop a confidence. A confidence to face the emptiness of the absence, the unknown. And I don’t succumb to the intimidation of looking at a blank page, but instead continue, so that I may experience a freedom and creativity within.